What? ! I have to rebuild civilization, kamo? !
by 741AuthorNCS
Summary: A seaplane tender suddenly awakened into the world of petrified humanity. "Looks like our best course of action will be rescuing these people and help rebuilding their world, kamo! Let's do our best Taitei-chan! I was meant to be Akashi's replacement after all…"
1. Prologue: Where am I, kamo?

Prologue: Where am I, kamo?

_In the year 2019, human civilization ended._

_In an instant, a mysterious ray of light spread across the entire globe. Every square inch of the surface of the planet were bathed in its radiance. Every single human being, along with a few species of animals, were instantly petrified into stone statues. _

_Their souls might be encased, but humanity wasn't dead in their stone prison. Despite being trapped in a limbo of sorts, some minds would occasionally awake in the darkness before ultimately succumbing to unconsciousness again. Millions were destroyed by the marching of time and the merciless elements, dooming them to a fate worse than death._

_However, one mind (well two, but the other one doesn't matter at the moment) managed to keep himself awake. A genius, perhaps the smartest homo sapiens ever born on this Earth, was doing his best to track time._

_One painful second at a time_

_"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10… 117,233,855,450… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10…"_

_His will was unbreakable, just like his father before him. He had a dream to one day reach space himself, and he refused to go silently into the night without a fight._

_When he broke free of his prison, he would be humanity's salvation, for he carried almost all of their scientific knowledge in his little head. He will be the new seed to restart their civilization._

_"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10… 117,233,855,470… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10…"_

_Unfortunately we wouldn't be seeing him for another 13,149,000 more seconds, which was about eight months from now._

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This village didn't have a calendar system. All they knew was the fact that winter was coming because the leaves on the trees were turning red and yellow.

The memories of the last disaster were still fresh in the minds of the adults and elderly. Starvation, frigid cold, and terrible disease claimed the lives of a few families, reducing their already low population to only 39 adults and a few dozen children. They needed dried fish and fruits, piles upon piles of firewood, animal pelts and furs, alcohol… there were never enough supplies despite how hard they worked. Everyone capable was busy working from morning until dawn, all for the sake of surviving another week.

Was it any wonder that they weren't able to progress beyond the stone age?

On one chilly morning, it happened. The entire village was rattled awake by a tremor that pulsed through their land.

"Ruri! Are you alright?!" Kokuyo the village chief exclaimed, as he entered his daughter's quarters.

"*Cough* *Cough* I am alright father…" his daughter, the priestess of the village sickly replied. "W-What happened? Was it the wrath of the land gods?"

"Ruri-nee! You alright?!" Bursting in, was the chief's second daughter.

"We are fine, Kohaku," the strict father replied. "Gather everyone! We need to check if there are any injuries.."

It didn't take long for every member of the village to gather for an emergency meeting, where everyone reported on their status.

"It seemed no one was injured, thankfully," Jasper, Kokuyo's right hand man said. "Just what was that-"

Another tremor came as the villagers cried out in distress, this time the shaking was followed by noises they had never heard of before.

_GROAN GROAN CREAK... _

It was loud… it sounded huge and terrible, easily triggering their primal instincts like listening to the low growl of a watching predator.

"It's close to us!" Turquoise, Kokuyo's right hand woman said. "Where is it coming from?"

"Everyone come look! I see someone in the water!" Kohaku's voice cried out. Adults quickly gathered by the lake side, looking down the cliff right below Kokuyo's house.

Right on the edge of the water, there was a person stuck between the cliff and waves. A young girl with clothing that the villagers had never seen before. Her long pale white hair resembled some of their own, while some strange... thing was attached to her wrist. It didn't resemble stone at all, it's actually straight and square in ways that even their best craftsman would struggle to replicate.

The autumn wind was strong today, and the lake was surprisingly violent. One wave washed onto the girl's body, swaying her head back and forth as the terrifying sound echoed from her joints, resulting in her head hitting the side of the cliff.

The tremor spread again, explaining to the villagers the cause of their problem.

"She was causing the wrath of the land gods?" Turquoise muttered in shock. "Look at it! She was cracking the side of the cliff from just hitting her head on it! How is this possible?"

"This is not good…" Jasper said. "I am worried she will weaken the foundation of the chief's house. We need to do something about it…"

"Well then, let me do it!" A tough looking man and his lackeys stepped up. "Let the great Magma-sama handle this! There's no one else stronger than me! I will remove that girl!"

"Magma, I don't think you are strong enough to break rocks with your head, so she's probably stronger than you…"

"Tsu, just you watch! I as the future chief will handle this!"

Sailing for the people of this village came naturally as they were borne fishermen. It didn't take long for them to arrive by the unknown girl's side on rafts.

Magma grinned. Upon a closer look, the girl was just like any other girls in the village. If anything, she was one of the skinniest adults he had seen with barely any muscles. Her head causing tremors had to be some kind of sorcery and not from her actual strength, he thought.

Telling his lackeys to sail closer, he reached out and attempt to grab her hand resting on some rocks, thinking he would easily pull her out of the water.

He was sorely mistaken when he couldn't even_ move the resting hand_.

_"W-What is this!?" _He struggled hard. His eyes told him he was trying to lift a limb, while his muscle told him he was lifting so much mass he might as well be moving a mountain. "All of you help me out!" he ordered desperately.

After five minutes of trying brute force, Magma and his lackeys returned to land with nothing to show for it but sore arms and strained backs.

"Fufu~ I thought you are the strongest?" Kohaku taunted, grinning.

"I am telling you! It's some kind of sorcery! That girl's so heavy she's unmovable!"

Another tremor spread through the village followed by more cracking of the rocks.

"This won't do…" Kokuyo groaned. "Kohaku! Where's Chrome?! We need his sorcery for once!"

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Inside a store house outside of the village, a young boy lay dead asleep.

Last night he was so exhausted from gathering materials that the commotion outside failed to wake him. It didn't help that he ate some unknown herbs that gave him a terrible stomach ache and left him very weak and dazed.

"Chrome! Chrome! Come out of there! We need you!"

The door burst open as Kohaku climbed into the shed. She began shaking the boy.

"Ahm… let me sleep more…"

"Chrome… Ruri-nee needs you! You need to come over now!"

The boy instantly snapped awake, panicking. "R-Ruri's in trouble?!"

"Yeah, kind of. If you mean she and Father will sleep outside tonight." Kohaku answered. "Come, we need your advice on sorcery."

Both teens headed to the village as Kohaku explained on the way. Honestly, Chrome didn't understand the situation until he saw the girl himself.

Sorcery that made you as heavy as a mountain and could shake the ground just from bumping your head against the rocks? He had never seen anything like this before! In reality he was as clueless as everyone else, not exactly sure how to remove the unconscious girl either.

But looking at Ruri's worried and sickly face steeled his resolve.

"Leave it to the genius sorcerer Chrome! I will do what Magma couldn't!" He boasted as he returned to his house for materials and tools.

In his mind he decided if brute strength, as proven by Magma, wouldn't work, then it's just a matter of throwing sorcery at her until something happened. He would go from his weakest tool to his strongest, which was rainbow colored fire. He did hope he could avoid that last option, because it would be a pain in the ass to set up on the lake.

"So… what's with that mud ball?" Kohaku asked as they sailed.

"Just you watch!" Chrome said, confident his plan would work.

Right next to the mysterious girl, the boy began scrubbing his ball like a mad man, rolling it back and forth on his palms, forearms, and on top of his head, panting all the way. His friend was just confused, wondering what had gotten into him.

"Hah… hah… Take this!" Having gathered enough tingling sensation on his skin, Chrome touched his finger onto the girl's cheek.

Unknown to the young sorcerer, while to him it was magic. What he just did was the primitive equivalent of a static electricity generator. The ball he was rubbing was created from melted sulfur, which, when he rubbed it, became charged with static electricity.

_Buzz_

He wasn't doing it in the most effective way possible, but the weak shock was enough. The girl felt it though her barrier.

Both teens widened their eyes when her eyelids slowly opened.

"It worked!" Chrome cheered. "Hell yeah, first attempt! I _am_ a genius!"

"Good job Chrome!" Kohaku nodded. "Hello? Do you know where you are? What is your name?"

"... kamo…" the mysterious girl groaned.

"Oh, your name is Kamo?"

"No… that's not my name, kamo… Let me pull myself up first, kamo…"

The girl started to get up, but rather than using the surrounding rocks as support, she stood on the surface of the waves as if they were solid ground. Chrome and Kohaku were astonished that her hands and feet didn't sink below the water.

"I thought there were rocks underneath her!" Kohaku exclaimed. "But she was actually laying on top of the water the entire time!?"

"A-Awesome! Sorcery that let you walk on water!" Chrome gushed. "I want to know how to do that! It would make gathering material so much easier!"

Kohaku also noticed that the girl's joints were not making scary groaning noises anymore, thankfully, because those were creepy.

Now fully upright, the girl didn't as much walk over to their raft but rather _slide _across the surface of the water, with her legs barely moving.

The girl stood straight, raised her hand and made a gesture with meanings unknown to either teens, but it felt like she was greeting the two of them. "I am Seaplane Tender Akitsushima… civilians, can you tell me the coordinates? I am guessing I am in Japan water, kamo… Even though I was supposed to be over at America."

Both Chrome and Kohaku stared at her like she had just spoke gibberish to them.

"Wait a minute… I don't get what you've just said," Confusion was all over the boy's face. "Civilians? Coordinates? Japan water?_ America_? What are those?"

"You name is 'Suijokibokanakitsushima'? That's a mouthful of a name, why would your parents pick that?" Kohaku asked.

"No. My name is Akitsushima, Seaplane Tender is what I am," The mysterious girl replied, just as confused as them. "How do you both not know what I've just asked? Both of you spoke Japanese, so I am in Japan, right, kamo…?"

"Japanese? You mean our tongue?" Kohaku muttered. "This is getting really confusing, can we talk about it back in the village? I don't want to stay on the lake under this wind."

A worried expression painted Akitsushima's face, but she nodded. She followed their raft back to the village.

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_Primitive._ That was the best word Akitsushima could describe everyone she had seen until now.

At first she thought she might have somehow washed up around Hokkaido and these were the Ainu people. But she was quickly disproved because none of their culture resemble Ainu as embodied by a certain fellow Seaplane Tender/Fleet Oiler. And she would be disrespecting the Ainu by comparing this village to them, because those guys were properly modernized while these people were anything _but_.

Everyone wore leather and pelts as clothing, with no fabrics anywhere in sight.

All the buildings were wooden with straw roofs, fastened with ropes rather than nails.

All the tools were either stone or wood.

No modern plumping.

No grids. _No electricity. _She didn't- or rather _couldn't_ feel any electromagnetic waves.

Akitsushima shook her head, _"Calm down… I need to gather all the information first, kamo."_

In the center of the village, she met up with the chief with all the villagers looking at her, all of them curious about the mystery girl with bizarre clothing and apparently strength even Magma couldn't match and sorcery Chrome didn't know.

Kokuyo greeted her with Jasper and Turquoise by his side. "Welcome to our village… normally outsiders are forbidden to enter. But we will make an exception this one time." His tone carried unease as the three adults quickly introduced themselves.

"Thank you, Kokuyo-sama," Akitsushima answered as she did the unknown gesture again; a Salute. "I am a Seaplane Tender belonging to the _Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force_, or JMSDF for short. My name is Akitsushima."

She specifically used the English abbreviation to check their reaction.

Bewilderment spread quickly._ "Suijokibokan? Kaijojieitai? J.M.S.D.F?"_

"I-I am sorry, I don't quite understand your words, Akitsushima-san," Kokuyo replied, trying to not reveal his utter confusion.

_"No concept of English alphabet… Couldn't understand the meaning of certain kanjis..."_

The girl smiled. "No matter, I will explain in due time… But first can you tell me the current year, kamo?"

"That I could do," Jasper answered. "I believe it has been 226 years since the founding of this settlement, right?"

Turquoise nodded. "Yeah, the Miko-sama kept track, should be right."

_"T-That's not the year I wanted!"_ Akitsushima thought.

"I.. I have to check one more thing, please excuse me for a moment."

The village watched the girl raised her hand… and shoved its entirely into her own abdomen. There was no blood, because she didn't really pierce herself. To the primitive people, the act was unknowable and outright magical.

_"Awesome!" _Chrome through as he admired her._ "What she's doing, I have no clue but I have to learn about her sorcery! It's too cool to pass up!"_

They watched with caution as the girl pulled her arm back out and in her hand was now a rectangular object. She moved her thumb over it, as its surface flickered with colored lights.

Kohaku, who was born with very good eyesight, managed to sneak a peek._ "Are those drawings?! They are so detailed, it's out right lifelike! They are somehow moving!"_

_"Accessing GPS…"_ Akitsushima prayed._ "Please respond… please respond. Please just one piece of evidence to disprove my fears, kamo!" _

**No signal.**

Her device slipped from her hand and onto the floor, undamaged thanks to its colorful casing. The girl slumped to the ground, her expression a mixture of shock, confusion, and despair.

"Akitsushima-san…?"

"No GPS response… This means no _satellites_… _What happened to civilizations, kamo?_" She grabbed her head in distress. "My memory was hazy… I was… That's right, the mission was to liberate Pearl Harbor. I was the flagship and leading everyone on the safest possible route… Then- _Then_-"

Was she sunk? No, she was undamaged and fully stocked. So why was her memory unclear?

Where were her allies? Where was the naval base? Where was her beloved, but slightly insane Admiral?! Where was the Japan she was constructed to protect!?

"Where am I, kamo?!" She cried out loud.

Suddenly everyone was alerted when the object attached to her wrist moved on its own. Something green manifested in brilliant blue fire, before being shot out by the contraption on it. Another burst of flame in mid air and everyone was astonished.

Wider than bird anyone had ever seen before, it had no feathers on its unnaturally straight wings. Its body was bulky and smooth, colored green and white. The best explanation the villagers could give was that it was some kind of avian they had never seen before. It flew around Akitsushima in circle like a loyal pet.

It made a series of beeping noises. **".-. .-.. .-. .- .-.- .. - - -.-. .- -.-. = ( "**

"Taitei-chan…" Shaking, Akitsushima hugged the creature and sobbed. "What are we supposed to do now?"

**"-.- .-.. ... .-. .- -.-. .-.. -.-. -.- -. -.-. -. ..-. -... .-.. -.-. -..-. ..-.. .. -. -..- -.- = ) "**


	2. CH1: Understanding my situation, kamo

Chapter 1: Understanding my situation, kamo.

"I am Akitsushima, a Seaplane Tender launched on July, 25 1941 by the Imperial Japanese Navy. I was constructed for the sake of assisting Large-sized Flying Boats and refueling of other vessels at sea. I currently exist as _Kanmusu_, a sentient ship in the form of a human. This is here is Taitei-chan, my beloved seaplane."

**"- .-.-. -.-. ..-. -.- XD"** The plane laying beside her waved her wings like arms.

Firing away her explanation caused Akitsushima to feel kind of bad. While she did promised them that she would explain herself, these people simply lacked a majority of the context needed to understand her existence.

Just _how _could she explain the concept of a warship when "iron" and "steel" were not even in their vocabulary? What could "time travel" or "parallel world travel" mean to them when the very idea was utterly alien?

She could feel everyone's brain sizzling in their skulls from information overload.

"I am truly sorry, Akitsushima-san," The chief wiped the sweat off his brows. "It is _really_ difficult to comprehend your tale…"

"So you are a sentient… ship, with a sentient… seaplane- still don't know what that is- probably from another time or world. You don't know how you ended up here…" Jasper attempted to simplify. He was arguably the smartest man in the village after all, so he stood his ground decently. "That's the most I could deduce from your words."

"That part still confuses me!" Turquoise exclaimed. "So you're telling me I could go out and carve a boat and it could become another person?!"

"Technically yes, if you gave her a name and she was worshipped by many people, especially if she was remembered in history," Akitsushima nodded. "I was once a lifeless object too, until I ascended."

"Let's stop here… Whether your outrageous story is real or not doesn't concern me. My biggest question to you is: What are you going to do and will it cause trouble for our village?" The chief asked.

"... Look for a way home, of course. Records show it is possible, because it has happened once." She replied. "We have seen visitors from another world before. We even fought alongside and against them until they returned to their own home. I believe my current situation is like that, but reversed, kamo."

Ah, yes, the_ Fleet of Fog_ incident. She wasn't available back then, but she had heard secondhand accounts. It was thanks to them that Japan had nano-tech now… but that will be a tale for another time, however.

"So until that happens, I am afraid I am stuck with you all for the time being, kamo," she stated. She realized the adults were eyeing her with worry. "Oh! I don't plan on staying for free of course! How about I repay your kindness, kamo? Can you tell me the biggest issues facing your village right now? I can most likely do something about it, kamo!"

"Winter is coming, the biggest issue we are facing now is stockpiling food," Jasper frowned. "We need lots of fish and we never have enough..."

_"Food huh?" _The Seaplane Tender thought. That was a topic she really should deal with immediately herself. She and Taitei-chan would surely run out of fuel one day and accessing oil currently seemed impossible. Thankfully, as a _Kanmusu_, she could run on normal food, although she would need loads of it to substitute for quality oil.

"I understand, kamo," she told the villagers, "Please, grab all of your largest fishing boats. I promise I will net you all the biggest catch today, kamo!"

Picking up Taitei-chan, Aktsushima threw her seaplane companion into the sky. She watched her disappear into the distance as the reconnaissance mission began. She herself made a dash and leapt onto the water below. "Seaplane Tender Akitsushima, setting sail!"

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So she had somehow ended up on a lake.

Which was good, because this just made it all the more easier compared to that… _hell_.

She shivered at the memories. Let's just say escorting fishing vessels to look for mackerel in square kilometers of heavily patrolled enemy water was anything but fun. The fact they had to do it every year was ludicrous.

Still, in the end it was somewhat worth it because the meals created from those fishes were amazing (assuming the carriers and battleships didn't get to them first). She hoped these villagers would get to experience something like that once she brought them a bountiful catch.

The autumn wind had calmed down by now, and the surface of the lake was much more tranquil. She waited for the fishermen to sail to her position. They were clearly still wary of her, keeping their distance (or was it because their primitive sailing method wasn't able to keep up with her?). They did as she had instructed as four of their biggest boat now trailed her.

They arrived on the deeper part of the lake. "Can you hand me your net, kamo?"

The fisherman looked displeased, but did so. "Please don't ruin it, it will be a pain to repair."

"Of course, leave it to me~"

She sailed through the lake, cupping one ear as she listened to her sonar.

_Ping... Ping... Ping… PING_

_Found them!_

She tossed out the net and quickly zipped around the unsuspecting school, encapsulating a majority of them before they could escape.

"Ahhhhhhh!" The fisherman exclaimed in shock as Akitsushima easily withdrew the fish to the surface. "T-This is incredible! This is the biggest catch I have ever seen!"

"You flatter me, can you bring the empty boat over?"

Unloading onto the fishing boat, Akitsushima began scanning the fish. _"Seem healthy. Don't seem to contain any disease…"_

Much to the shock of the fishermen, the Seaplane Tender began throwing some of them back out after checking their bellies. "W-What are you doing?!"

"It's a law where I am from, kamo. Since I caught so many I am throwing some of the females back out, especially if there were eggs. This will ensure we don't overfish them and reduce their numbers next year," she replied. "Let's head back to the village, kamo."

On the way back, Teitai-chan returned to her. "Thank you, come back inside to refuel, kamo~"

**"= D"** the seaplane vanished in a burst of blue fire. She ignored the astonished onlookers.

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"SO MANY FISH!"

The entire village rejoiced as their winter problem was eased up. A good number of them immediately got to work in drying a majority of them, but most just started snacking on their share.

Akitsushima almost flipped when they were just roasting them all by the fire on a stick, without gutting them first. "What are you all doing, kamo?!"

"Eating them...? How else are you supposed to eat fish?"

"Nononono! This won't do!" The Seaplane Tender was furious. "Let me cook for you all, kamo!"

Just like how they saw her pulled out that rectangular object, once again she pulled out tools they had never seen before. An impossibly smooth wooden board, 2 wooden sticks, a large black plate that didn't resemble clay at all, crystal clear translucent pottery containing liquids, and a silver knife that was one of the sharpest, smoothest blades any of them had ever seen.

"I-Incredible!" Akitsushima was confronted by an astonished old man; he resembled a dwarf she thought. "W-What are these!?" He pointed to her containers of sauces. "Transparent masonry?!" he pointed to her knife. "That knife is not stone, and how do you make it so sharp?!"

"These are my cooking supplies. I carry them around because I love to cook for my allies when possible, kamo," Akitsushima answered. "These are glass containers, with seasoning and sauce I will need. This is a carbon steel knife… I am sorry, but you probably wouldn't be able to replicate this without the proper materials. Anyway, kamo, please stand back and let me work."

The villagers watched with interest as she filleted the fish on her cutting board. "The most important thing when you are dispatching a fish is to cause the least suffering to it. The more stressed a fish is when it dies, the worse its meat tastes." They marveled as her expert knife work reduced the fish to mere bones and meaty pieces. "Tada~"

By a fire, she sizzled some oil on her stainless steel pan as she fried the large pieces. A delicious smell flood the small village, even the previously uninterested people started abandoning their work to check on the Seaplane Tender.

"Where the hell are you guys going!?" Kokuyo roared. "Get back to work!"

"... Should we go eat, village chief?" Jasper asked.

"Huh? Tell me, why would I go?" he glared.

The right hand man of the village frowned.

While the fillet fried, Akitsushima did some multi-tasking by slicing thin pieces of raw fish and laying them nicely onto a large leaf. "Sashimi! Try it!"

Most of the villagers were very skeptical, as the last time someone ate many raw fish… well, he wasn't with them anymore, let's just say.

"Don't worry! Fish are safe if you prepare them this way, kamo! I checked for parasites too!" To prove it to them, she used her chopsticks and picked up a slice, dipped it in the black sauce, and ate it. "Mmmmm…! So good! Fresh sashimi is the best, kamo!"

One teen reached out, a chubby kid with a curious look. He picked up a piece, dipped it, and then ate it despite the weird glaze.

His eyes beamed with bless. "I-Is this really fish?! There's none of that odor anywhere! The meat is so smooth it slid right down my throat with this salty juice!"

"Well... if Ganen the glutton says so…"

After their own taste, the sashimi Akitsushima served all vanished in under 5 minutes.

"The fillets are done! Everyone take a piece!"

The fillet… _oh god the fillets_. The fish they cooked were usually very dry, with an aftertaste of fish odor and bitterness of firewood, especially if they'd over roasted it. Akitsushima's fillets were juicy and meaty, with a sweet aftertaste coupled with the favor of the fish itself. IT. WAS. HEAVENLY!

"All hail Akitsushima! All hail Akitsushima!"

"Eh, Jasper? What are you doing over here?"

"Shhhhh... don't make the chief notice I am gone."

"I am glad you guys liked it, kamo!"

Behind her smile, she watched an eighth of her soy sauce vanish.

How long could she keep this up?

She was a skilled cook, but if she ran out of seasoning than she couldn't do anything. By her estimation, she should have enough supplies to last for 2 more months. Afterward, her fish wouldn't taste as good because she would be limited to only salt, wild herbs, and whatever substitutes she could find.

She had a long and difficult time ahead of her, and she was not looking forward to it.

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Afternoon was fast approaching, and Akitsushima wanted to explore her surroundings. She headed for the outskirts of the village, crossing their drawbridge and into the outer forest.

The side of a spear dropped before her face, stopping her in her tracks."... Kamo?"

"The village chief has welcomed you into the village. You are free to return anytime," the guard said, a tall and serious teen. "I am just telling you to be careful, it's getting late." Her blockage was lifted.

"C'mon! You are way too serious! If we learned anything today it's that you don't mess with Akitsushima-chan!" the guard beside him said, a short teen with blonde hair. "What's up? I am Ginro and this overly serious dude is my brother, Kinro."

"Nice to meet you both, kamo," she said with a nod. "I am going to look around this land, so I probably won't return tonight. Don't be surprised if that's the case."

"That's cool. Hey, you should check out Chrome- you remember him right? Both of you should talk about sorcery! His shed is just right over there!"

She remembered the boy. She wondered where he and that girl Kohaku were when she was fishing. Neither of them came to eat her cooking.

"And… if you have some free time, want to hang out sometime?" The teen asked, trying to act charming. "I will show you around."

"Ginro, quit it! You are being creepy!"

Is… he hitting on her?

"Thank you for your offer, I'll think about it, kamo," she politely declined. The horny teen smiled to himself with strange grin. "See you both some other time."

She was just reaching the forest when she noticed a terrifying sight.

Trapped between foliage and trees were statues. Both male and female, human figures made from dark grey stones. 1, 2, 4, 8, _20_… There were so many of them and they all wore expressions of confusion, surprise, or ignorance, many of them cracked and broken with limbs missing.

"Ka-Kamo!?" She yelled out.

"What happened?!"

The guard brothers came over to her, worried.

"W-What are those, kamo?!" she asked. "Are they made by someone, kamo?"

"Well no, actually we don't have a clue either," Kinro replied seriously. "We had stories about them… they might have been villagers that once lived in this area too. Some unspeakable horror must've turned them into stone. That's why I warned you to be careful when leaving this village. These are the proof that something… terrible is beyond here."

"Oh Kinro, that's just a story made by Miko-sama to keep children at home. Nobody has ever been turned to stone before, if anything the animals would get to them first," Ginro shrugged and paused. "Yeah! Akitsushima-chan, you know sorcery right?! Maybe you could find out more yourself!"

"Yeah... Let me try something…"

The brothers watched as the _Kanmusu_ grabbed one of the statues out of the foliage, seemingly a young woman. Akitsushima gently lay her onto the ground, careful not to damage her further as she already suffered a lot of cracks.

She ignored the gasps of shock when blue fire ignited in her palm.

This blue fire was not really fire. It was known as_ Reiryoku_, or Spiritual Powers, Mana, Chakra… all just names for the power of the souls. Her Admiral called it SE. This was the power that was responsible for bringing her, a former ship, to life.

An ascended item like herself could utilize SE for many miraculous things that would seem like magic. One notable feat was injecting a small amount of it into another object, bringing it to life just like herself. In other words, creating a _Tsukumogami_, an Item Spirit.

One morbid joke her Admiral liked to make was if the _Kanmusu_ wanted to destroy humanity for whatever reason, all they had to do was spread SE to every object available and overrun everyone in an adorable version of a zombie apocalypse.

Anyway, what she was doing now was using SE to try to reach and into this statue so she could understand its history. If this was something crafted by human hands, she would know immediately.

Except, there was already a soul in it.

And it was _undoubtedly human._

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**"Oh… I woke up again… How long has it been since I was trapped in this darkness…? Last time it felt like years before I fell back asleep…"**

**"I've had enough of this… SOMETHING PLEASE KILL ME! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS! Or… maybe this is already hell. Aha… AHAHAHAHAHAHA. I didn't do anything wrong… I AM A very good girl fresh out of college… WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?! WAS IT BECAUSE I ACCIDENTALLY BROKE MY FRIEND'S LEG?! BUT SHE FORGAVE ME AND SHE'S ALREADY OUT OF THE HOSPITAL! I DID NOTHING WRONG! I DID NOTHING WRONG! OH GOD WHY AM I IN HELL, IS THIS NARAKA?! HOW MUCH LONGER?!"**

**"PLEASE KILL ME!"**

**"KILL ME!"**

**"KILLMEKILLMEKILLMEKILLMEKILLME-"**

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"-KAMOOOOO!"

Akitsushima screamed, as she backed off from the statue, terror painted all over her face.

"Akitsushima-chan!" the brothers called out. "What happened?!"

"T-These are all humans…" she answered with a low mutter. "They are all still alive inside the statues!"

"... Shit, that sounds terrifying." Ginro agreed with shivers in his voice.

"Your sorcery told you that?" Even Kinro's serious face was weakening. "Can you do something about it?"

"I don't know…" She replied, "I will try reaching her soul again, the least I could do is comfort her, kamo." She touched the statue's face gently.

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**"KILLMEKILLME-"**

**"-Eh?"**

**"It's warm… Someone's touching my face?"**

**"Oh god! It feels so good! This is the first sensation in so long! I don't care who or what you are! FREE ME! FREE ME!"**

**"PLEASE… JUST PLEASE… I'VE ENOUGH OF THIS… I beg of you…"**

**"...Eh?"**

**"Someone's writing on my skin…?"**

**"... ****解. ****放. ****す. ****る-"**

**"..."**

**"_'I don't know how to free you… but I promise I will find a way…'_?"**

**"..."**

**"Thank you… Thank you."**

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Akitsushima's finger stopped grazing the surface of the rocks, her eyes watery.

What had happened to this world? This girl had said terms that showed that she was a modern human. Was this place a post-apocalyptic world? An apocalypse where everyone had turned to stone somehow? How many years since there was a real human civilization? Centuries? _Millennia_?

Her goal was still looking for a way home, back to her Naval Base, back to her fleet, back to her Admiral, back to the sea she was familiar with.

But as long as she was here, she would do her best to aid this humanity.

Because she was Akitsushima, a ship built to protect Japan. Her Admiral would agree it would include all versions of her country.

She brought out Taitei-chan again. She looked at her her dear companion with determination. "Looks like our best course of action will be rescuing these people and help rebuilding their world, kamo! Let's do our best Taitei-chan!"

The seaplane nodded. **".- .-. -..-. .- -.-. - -.-. XD****"**

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**AuthorNCS: P****etrification scary in Dr. Stone lol. Make sure to stop thinking when trapped in stone.  
**


	3. CH2: I am a flagship once again, kamo

Chapter 2: I am a flagship once again, kamo.

She tried collecting whatever statues she came across, stuffing them inside her body and storing them as cargo, but as much as it pained her, she had to prioritize.

Statues of children and young teens got picked up first, alongside statues with the highest risk of shattering. If the group looked like a family or a couple, she immediately categorized them as a set. She left the buried ones alone, protecting them with even more soil after marking their location.

After some surveying, she made plans to remove a good chunk of the village's surrounding forest in the upcoming days. These unfortunate trees would be lumber for her project, and clearing the land would make the village safer as predators would find it harder to hide.

She didn't know why there were _lions_ here. Thankfully, her very presence scared them off. Animals could always tell a human and _Kanmusu _apart because a human didn't carry the stench of metal and oil, and their instinct would always identify her as what she truly was; a weapon of mass destruction.

"Oi, Akitsushima!" A familiar blonde girl that would be in high school if she was a modern citizen greeted her. "What are you doing all the way out of the village?" She was carrying a huge jar for some reason.

Beside her was the boy Akitsushima first woke up to. Spiky black hair with a rope headband, reminiscent of a _hachimaki_ that diligent Japanese workers once wore. He was carrying a basket of rocks, and he looked a bit exhausted.

"I am surveying my surroundings. I didn't see either of you earlier. Where did you go? You guys missed out on my cooking."

"I was out fetching hot water from high in the mountains," the teen replied. "Chrome was gathering materials anyway, so we went out together."

Akitsushima watched as Kohaku nudged the boy beside her.

"Anyway, I really need to get this to my sister, I was already late on schedule. Chrome! This is your chance! It's up to you now!" she said as she ran back into the village.

Now alone, Chrome stepped up and faced her with confidence. "Please! Teach me your sorcery!"

"Eh?"

"I am this village's insanely smart, genius sorcerer! I definitely have what it takes to learn your sorcery! Please share your secrets with me!" He boasted pridefully.

"Sorcery? Right, you people think what I am doing is magic..."

It technically was but…

"Sorry to tell you this, but I can't and won't, kamo."

"What?! But why not?! I will show you I have what it takes to-"

She stopped him right there. "It's not a problem of time or interest, kamo. The fact of the matter is my power is unavailable to the average human, because I am not a human to begin with. You weren't there during my explanation to the chief, were you?"

"-God damn it!" The boy shouted angrily, throwing his basket to the ground. "So I went out to gather this stuff for nothing?!"

"Wait… what do you have there?" Digging through the basket, Akitsushima found something that made her eyes widen. She pulled out a chunk of dark grey ore with spots of rusty red. "I-Iron, kamo?!"

Akitsushima's expression surprised Chrome. A diabolic idea hatched inside his head immediately. He evilly grinned, as he crossed his arms. "Y-Yeah! I know where I could get more of these! But guess what? If you want me to cough it up then you will need to teach me your sorcery!"

The Seaplane Tender frowned; this kid was still desperately trying to get her to reconsider. It was kind of cute actually.

Wait a minute… what was "sorcery" to this boy? Maybe he was confusing her power with something else he should be learning instead.

"Chrome, what is your definition of sorcery, kamo?" she asked him seriously.

"Sorcery is the crazy thing that happens when you mess around with materials!" He answered confidently. "Kids collect everything. They smash, mix, and burn them… if something crazy happens that's sorcery! What else could it be?!"

Akitsuhima stared blankly into Chrome's face, before she started giggling.

"What the hell! Why are you laughing!? What's so funny!?"

"Sorry, sorry," The Seaplane Tender smiled at him. "Silly Chrome, you are not a sorcerer... You are a fledgling scientist, kamo!"

"S-Scientist? What the hell is that?"

"A scientist is someone who studies and utilizes science... _Science_ is humanity's greatest invention. _I _was created from science, kamo." Akitsushima smiled. "I see now, _you_ are the restarting point of this humanity. I am glad this Japan is not going down without a fight, kamo!"

"Restarting point of humanity!?" Confusion were all over his face. "I don't get it! What does that mean?!"

"Fufu…" Akitsushima looked him in the eye. "You really lucked out, Chrome-kun. By the time I am done with you, your village would be out of the stone age, kamo~"

"Wait! Wait a minute! It sounds like you are changing your mind!" The boy shouted in excitement.

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"Wow!"

Chrome's shed was filled with so many minerals, all organized neatly in jars and pots. "You gathered everything by yourself, kamo? How long did it take?!"

"Hehe! Awesome, right?!" The boy bathed in the paise. "It feels great to have someone admire my collection! A girl, no less! Kohaku and everyone else just crap on me!"

"Iron, Copper, Coal… You even found Bauxite!" Akitsushima exclaimed. "This is amazing! You have to tell me where to get more of these! Especially Iron! I need so much of it it's not even funny!"

"Yeah, this dark rock with reddish spots?" Chrome asked. "I sometimes find them in the caves. I will take you to the place where I find them, I guess."

"That would be great, Chrome-kun! It's an unfortunate fact that Japan isn't blessed with good mineral deposits, but if luck really blessed us with a mine near the caves then that would make my time here so much easier!"

The boy watched as Akitsushima pulled out the previous rectangular object. On top of that, she pulled out a flat green plate and a thick string.

"What are you doing with those things?"

"I am checking the aerial photo Taitei-chan took on my laptop…" She stopped herself when question marks started shooting out of Chrome's head. "Okay, I am sorry. Let me explain to you, kamo."

Picking up the rectangular object, she pointed the back to Chrome's face. A surprise _snap_ sound echoed out before she showed him the result.

"W-Who's that?! Wait! T-That's me?!" The boy exclaimed as he puzzled over the image on the rectangular object. "It's like looking into the surface of clear water!"

"This here is my smartphone. What I did was taken a photograph of you, Chrome-kun. A photograph basically allows me to record a moment in time," Akitsushima tried explaining in detail. "Earlier I sent Taitei-chan out to do the same thing in the air, now I have a bird's-eye view of nearby lands."

"A-Awesome!" Chrome beamed. "How does your "smartphone" work!? Explain it to me!"

"I don't know, kamo," Much to the boy's shock, the Seaplane Tender shrugged. "I mean, I know the principles behind many of its inner workings, but if you are asking me to build you one then no, I can't, kamo. This was made by dozens of talented people with materials and techniques I won't waste time replicate."

"Oh man…"

"Anyway, this here is my laptop," Akitsushima flipped open the green plate, revealing its black clear surface. "Basically, it's a larger version of my Smartphone with more functions, kamo."

A yearly salary ensured almost all _Kanmusu_ could afford modern electronics (Admiral literally forced the government to implement a law), therefore almost everyone had phones and laptops by now. Handheld game consoles were also extremely popular as they were the perfect time waster between Expeditions and coastal patrol, especially amongst the Submarines.

The laptop light up, now displaying a photograph of Taitei-chan and Akitsushima herself, apparently having a fun time with faces Chrome didn't know.

"I-I think I am getting it. But who are these people?"

"You mean my wallpaper? These are my allies…" Akitsushima replied with a frown. She pointed to the pink-haired one and said, 'Akashi', then to the one with long black hair and weird eyewear, 'Ooyodo,' then the two brown-haired ones, 'Ise and Hyuuga, then the short-haired one, 'Hayasui', then the one in a green dress, 'and lastly Mizuho, kamo.

"Whoa. I have never seen someone with peach-colored hair before."

Akitsushima chuckled. "You should've seen the other girls then. The naval base has pretty much have every color in the rainbow by now, kamo."

"Really?! That's how many people like you exist?"

"Hundreds of us, kamo. And new ones will keep coming." She replied, earning another gasp.

She grabbed her thick string and inserted them into the laptop and the smartphone. "This is a cable. I am transferring data- I mean photographs between the two, kamo."

Chrome watched with interest as Akitsushima fiddled with the laptop, her fingers moving automatically in almost a blur.

"Mt. Fuji!" She exclaimed after a quick scan. "Something recognizable! That's great, kamo! We are near the coast then that means…" she pulled out an image containing a map of Japan from one of the folders. "Taitei-chan circled around the lake so I know the shape of it… therefore your village definitely sits on Lake Ashi. So the nearby coast is… Sagami Bay."

She was _really_ close to the Yokosuka Naval District, which was only like a day of travel to get over there, but at the same time _very_ far from the Kure Naval District, the base her Admiral was last stationed at.

She understood this was not her home. However, she couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness fully knowing those districts had long since been destroyed over here.

"A-Awesome! That's the most detailed map I have ever seen!" Chrome beamed again. "Holy crap, if this is true then there's still so many unexplored places! This land- Japan, right?- Just how big is it?"

His eyeballs almost pop out of their sockets when Akitsushima switched to the world map.

"Japan's an island nation, Chrome-kun. We are tiny compared to the rest of the continents, kamo," she introduced the rest of the world. "Say hi to Europe, Asia, Russia, the Americas, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica, kamo."

"Holy crap!" He exclaimed again. "Wait, back up a bit! So that's what you meant by America?! You were all the way _over there_?!" He drew his finger across the screen, trying to grasp the absurd distance with his primitive mind. "How far away was it!? How did you even get over there?! By boat?! How many _years_ did that took?!"

"8 hours- I mean, a third of a day," she replied. "Sailing that far away would have been a waste of time and resources. My fleet took military aircraft over there before starting our mission, kamo."

"You guys _flew_?!"

"Yes. Think Taitei-chan, but bigger, big enough to carry hundreds of people."

Chrome imagined a scenario where a ton of people sat on the back of a gigantic Taitei-chan as they sped through the sky. Not exactly right, but good enough to give him some understanding. "AWESOME!"

He grabbed Akitsushima and shook her. Well, he _couldn't_ move her, so all her could do was place his hands on her shoulders and look her in the eyes. "Please, tell me all about it! What was the world like before I was born?! What was _Japan_ like?!"

Akitsushima thought to herself and nodded sadly. "We are going to be here for a while, kamo. Prepare yourself, Chrome-kun."

She spent the next few hours showing the boy the future his world lost. She pulled out photos of the modern world to add to her explanations. The boy was thoroughly blown away by all the human achievements that previously only existed in fantasies.

"I am definitely not from your world, kamo. And if we _Kanmusu_ existed over here, we would never let something like this happen… or at least, we would do our best to preserve human civilization until a solution was found. My condolences to your world, kamo…"

Tears streamed down Chrome's eyes in a sorrowful waterfall. "D-DAMN IT! So my ancestors spent millions of years building up this absolutely insane, amazing civilization… only to lose it all because everyone turned to stone somehow?! _Who did this!?_ If I ever find him, I will _murder_ him!"

"I agree. Assuming there was a perpetrator, this was a crime against humanity on the highest order. No previous vile figures from history ever came close to this magnitude, kamo. The fact that the petrification doesn't kill but rather keeps the victim conscious and alive in stasis…"

"That's even worse! That's like worse than death, right!? What an asshole!" Chrome punched the floor. "What do we do now?!"

"... my priority is to look for a way back to my home, kamo. But while I do that, I will do my best to help the humanity over here. My Admiral would've ordered me to do so regardless, kamo." Aktsushima nodded. "Chrome-kun, please. Join me in my endeavor and help restore your world."

"You don't have to ask, Akitsushima!" The boy shouted in confidence. "I will help you find a way home and rebuild my world! You said my ancestors had knowledge of miraculous medicines, right!? I _have_ to know more about it!"

"You need medicines, Chrome-kun? Is there someone sick in your village?"

The boy frowned. "Ruri… You saw her right? She's the chief's daughter and Kohaku's sister. She's suffering from the same illness that killed her mother…" he muttered sadly. "She's the whole reason I taught myself to be a sorcerer. I have been looking everywhere for a cure for her, but…"

Akitsushima reached her hand into her body. "... What's her symptoms? What's her illness like?"

"Coughing. She coughs like she's going to spill her guts out. Because of that, she can't sleep, and that's not counting the constant chest pain..."

"Does she have a fever- I mean, does her body heat up to the point that it feels like burning?"

"Yeah, I think it happened before."

The boy watched as the Seaplane Tender withdrew a red box with a white cross on it. "This is all I have, kamo. I am not a medical vessel, therefore I didn't bother carrying other medical supplies beyond this…" She opened it, and handed Chrome a clear bottle of pink liquid. "It's cough medicine, kamo. It should relieve her suffering and let her sleep at night."

"T-Thank you!" The boy received the bottle like it was going to shatter.

"This is only temporary… Her sickness is likely to be more than just a common cold. I don't even know what to do, kamo… I guess start rotting potatoes and hope for Penicillin?"

"What's a potato?"

"Never mind…" Akitsushima eyed Chrome. "I hereby officially declare the formation of the _Isekai Civilization Restoration Fleet_, kamo!"

"A fleet?"

"Yes. That's right, and welcome to my fleet Chrome-kun. You are the first human, and male, to join a _Kanmusu _squadron." She did the greeting now known to the boy as a Salute. "Let's work together from now on, kamo~"

"Yeah!" The boy returned the gesture. "We will restore what my world lost and find a way to kick the ass of Ruri's illness!"

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It was now nighttime, and Chrome had parted ways with Akitsushima so he could feed Ruri the cough medicine, leaving the Seaplane Tender to retire to her alone time.

Rathering than making a shelter, she leapt into the lake and sailed miles off the coast. The anchors attached to her ribbons sank into the surface as she docked her body in place. She sat down and glanced up the crescent moon.

Without light pollution, the stars of the Milky Way were a wonder to look at. Usually, she only got to enjoy this sight when sailing long distances in the middle of the ocean. It felt surreal to see the stars so clearly within mainland Japan.

Her surroundings were shrouded in pure darkness. Silence was everywhere except for the occasional croaking of the frogs or the chirping of insects or birds. Many people would pay good money to escape to this place for a relaxing experience with nature.

However, she was not enjoying any of this, because they only served to remind her that she was far far away from home, perhaps a literal timeline or universe away with a good chance of never returning.

She already missed stationing with Ooyodo and Fubuki as everyone attempted to reduce Admiral's work load.

She already missed slaving into the night with Akashi and Yuubari, only to watch with annoyance and slight jealousy as Samidare "escorted" the melon out mid-way through like a good wife.

She already missed nerding out with Ise, Hyuuga, Hayasui, Mogami, and Mizuho, as they attempted to spread the religion of _Zuiun_. SEAPLANE BOMBERS FOREVER!

She already missed eating at Mamiya at night, because it was entertaining to watch the dumpster fire that would follow when alcohol got involved. A drunk Ashigara would complain all night that she was still single before Myoukou and Nachi dragged her home, followed by Haguro frantically apologizing. Jun'you and Pola would have a drinking contest that ALWAYS ended with BOTH of them naked and then being dragged home by Hiyou and Zara.

Speaking of food, she missed Houshou's night stall too. Alcohol was limited over there, but it was still fun. The fried chicken skewer produced by the mother of carriers was just legendary, even though she herself rarely got to eat more than one serving because the carriers would steal them all first. Usually the night would end with a bar fight because the word "turkey" was muttered as an insult.

_Oh god_, she was missing the _torpedo squadrons_ at night, what was wrong with her? What she wouldn't give to hear Sendai or Kawakaze leaping over her screaming "Night battle! Night battle!" right this moment.

She reached out her hand and then closed it into a fist.

"Me and Taitei-chan will definitely return home, kamo. Wait for us everyone..."

And so Akitsushima closed her eyes and slept on the surface of the lake, ending her first night in this post-apocalyptic alternate world.

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Fifteen minutes after Ruri swallowed the medicine, her coughing was subsided. It wasn't truly gone, of course, but brought down to a level where she could fall unconscious and ignore it.

"It worked, Chrome. Ruri-nee's fast asleep now," Kohaku said as she exited the chief's house. "It feels nice that she is sleeping so soundly for once."

"Yeah, I told the chief so! Thank you for holding back your father, by the way. He almost made me spill the damn thing!"

"To be fair, he had the right to be skeptical… Remember your last attempt at a medicine? All it did was make Ruri-nee pee all day…" The blonde girl shrugged.

"Yes I know! But everything from now on will be different!" Chrome replied." Akitsushima has shown me the way!"

"Huh? What way?"

The boy gave his friend a brief summary of the revelation he had received from the _Kanmusu_.

"I… don't understand much of that," Kohaku eyed him with a deadpan stare.

"I expected as much, _gorilla_."

Chrome immediately found himself brutally pummeled into the ground.

"_Anyway_." The girl waved the smoke off her right knuckle. "From your ramblings I do understand one thing: Akitsushima might have the answer to Ruri-nee's illness right?"

"Y-Yes…" Chrome weakly raise his head up in pain. "M-My point is… can you lend us a hand…?"

"_Of course_. I will take any opportunity to save Ruri-nee's life." Kohaku answered with determination. "I am definitely joining your fleet thing."

"Then… Welcome aboard… Urgh." Chrome tried to Salute, but he blacked out instead.

The girl sighed as she picked up her unconscious friend and began walking towards the direction of his shed. "Such a shame… If only you were born tougher, then you could've had a chance of marrying Ruri-nee…"

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_異世界文明維新艦隊_

_Isekai Civilization Restoration Fleet_

_Flag Ship: Seaplane Tender Akitsushima_

_2nd: Human Chrome_


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